Encore October 2013

ncore E Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Ferndale Record

A GUIDE TO A FULFILLING SENIOR LIFE IN WHATCOM COUNTY

A Lynden woman celebrates 70 years of playing the organ at Sumas Christian Reformed Church................. C2

A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Ferndale Record

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Freda Visser honored for 70 years of playing church organ She continues playing in Sumas while living in Lynden at age 88

By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com

Freda Visser has played at the Sumas Christian Reformed Church organ for over 66 years. (Courtesy photo/Kathy Eekhoff)

WHATCOM ­ — Freda Visser happened to mention to some relatives and friends that she was nearing a full 70 years of playing organ in churches.

So they planned a little celebration for her in the Sumas Christian Reformed Church on Sunday, Sept 29.

“It was wonderful. My church spoiled me,” Freda said last week on her 88th birthday, although she admitted she didn’t want to make a big deal of it all.

At the service, Freda played “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” on the Sumas church’s Moller organ while her daughter Kathleen, of Montana, accompanied

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Ferndale Record

ENCORE on the piano. Led by pastor Mark Van Dyke, the congregation gave Freda a standing ovation.

Afterward, with at least 50 extra people in attendance, cake was served.

“My kids made a great big card to sign,” she said. A grandson who is a graphic artist did the design of music notes to look like an organ.

Relatives came from Montana, Oregon, Alaska, Canada and as far as Virginia.

Even though she has passed the milestone, Freda continues to play as the only organist of the Sumas church.

However, the organ is not used on all Sundays. The piano is used more.

A widow for the past 42 years, Freda now lives in Lynden after having lived most of her life in Sumas. She drives out to Sumas for church.

She started playing organ at First Christian Reformed Church of Lynden when she was only 16 years old. Nee Bierlink, she played for three and half years there. Then, marrying Lambert Visser in 1945, she moved to Sumas where there was not even an organ in the Sumas CRC to play. Two years later, one was installed — and 66 and a half years later, Freda is still on it.

“From February 1947 on, I have been playing,” she said.

She wishes she had kept exact track of all the weddings and funerals she also

participated in, certainly over 100, besides Sunday worship services.

Two memories especially stand out.

The temperature was 103 degrees once for a funeral. Another time, Freda got to church anxious about an extra-difficult piece to play when she realized she had left something boiling on her stove at home. She handed the car keys to her 15-year-old daughter — without a driver’s license yet — and sent her home via the back streets. “She came back with a big grin on her face,” Freda recalls.

When a new Sumas church was built in 1980, the old organ was transferred down the street.

The 70 years at the organ is ironic in that “I’m not a real professional,” Freda insists. “I learned the basics, then developed it.”

Her older sister Catherine is the only one to have given Freda keyboard lessons as a child. “I was picking out little tunes and my parents knew I should have lessons,” she said. But it was Depression time and money was tight. So mostly she was self-taught.

“God gave me the gift of music, and I’ll be forever grateful,” Freda said.

She kept playing while her four children were young. When she was called upon to accompany choral groups, “believe me, then I studied,” she said emphatically.

For a time, she had a home organ to

A cake and a big greeting card were part of honoring organ player Freda Visser on Sept. 29. (Courtesy photo/Kathy Eekhoff) practice on, but not anymore.

She was paid her highest compliment by a soloist friend she was accompanying. After Freda disclaimed that “I

am not highly trained, but I just play to the glory of God,” the friend replied, “It shows.”

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s

See Visser on C5

t o t h e s t a f f o f H i g h l a n d C a r e C e n t e r f o r a t t a i n i n g t h e 5 s t a r l e v e l o n t h e N u r s i n g H o m e C o m p a r e s i t e … . t h e o n l y n u r s i n g h o m e i n W h a t c o m o r S k a g i t c u r r e n t l y r a t e d a t 5 s t a r s b y t h e C e n t e r s f o r M e d i c a r e a n d M e d i c a i d .

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Ferndale Record

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Local resident begins new life chapter with a guide dog Until now, Betty Sikkema has used a white cane for over 35 years PALM SPRINGS ­ — When Alberta “Betty” Sikkema of Lynden crossed the graduation stage from Guide Dogs of the Desert training program, she was beginning a new chapter of her life.

She now has a new 24-hour companion, a custom-trained guide dog, Bethers. Bethers is a female blue Standard Poodle, and that breed is a great option for individuals who are allergic to dogs or who have family members that are.

Betty came to Guide Dogs of the Desert, a residential campus outside Palm Springs, Calif., to receive her custom-trained guide dog and to receive three weeks of instruction on how to safely work with her new canine partner.

Graduation was Oct. 20.

While on campus, Betty learned to walk with her guide dog in residential areas, negotiate heavily traveled areas with traffic, cross streets, ride buses and light rail, use stairways, elevators and escalators, and maneuver through crowded hotels, restaurants and shopping malls of Palm Springs and nearby cities. She and her class traveled to downtown Los Angeles, and also learned how to go through security at an airport, thanks to cooperation from the Palm Springs In-

ternational Airport and local Transportation Security Administration staff.

The school’s very low 3:1 client/ instructor ratio allows clients to have a high level of customized one-on-one training.

Until now, Betty had used a white cane for over 35 years.

“With a cane, you are always fearful crossing streets. I also have an allergy to dogs, so thought I could never have a guide dog,” she said.

Bethers is her first guide dog.

“We’re still learning as a team, but already I can walk faster (than with a cane) and have a renewed level of confidence and comfort. I am thankful to the Lord that Guide Dogs of the Desert is available. What a wonderful feeling to have Bethers by my side!”

For the blind, a guide dog means increased freedom, companionship and safety, says the organization.

Since 1972, Guide Dogs of the Desert has worked to connect people in need with the tools they require for success.

The work of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization improves the lives of the blind by creating opportunities for life-changing independence, aided by community outreach and education programs.

Guide Dogs of the Desert breeds, raises and trains dogs and then trains the blind clients to work with their hand-selected dog at no cost to the clients.

Post-graduation support is also offered if specific issues arise, to the extent of coming out to the home of a client, said Kim Laidlaw, director of marketing and press relations.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Ferndale Record

Getting a clear call

Visser: 'Musician's Prayer' has become a motto for her organ playing Continued from C3

Musician’s Prayer Freda Visser said this “Musician’s Prayer” that she bought on a plaque once has become her motto:

For those with a medical confirmation of loss of hearing, a device can be installed to provide visual wording of phones calls.

Captioned phones help those with hearing loss stay connected Every conversation is challenging.

Words are muffled and heard only indistinctly. They are forced to ask people to repeat themselves, and in many cases try

to fake their way through a conversation.

This is the world of the hard-of-hearing.

According to the Hearing Loss Association of America, about 20 percent, or 48 million people, report some degree of hearing loss. While face-to-face interaction is difficult at best, telephone conversations can be the stuff of nightmares.

“I went to the VA, and I found out that See Connected on C7

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God, please bless my music that it might glorify your name, May using it to serve you always be my aim.

Let it be a witness to your majesty and love, And remind us that you’re watching from your throne above.

Oh Lord, I ask for guidance in everything I do, And pray you’ll make my music an instrument for you.

Amen.

Playing organ once ‘the thing for girls to do’ Bertha Hento was another longtime organist in the Sumas church. No longer living, Hento taught young women to play the organ at a time when that was more popular.

Char Bovenkamp of Lynden was one of those students of Hento and played at times in the Sumas church, where she grew up.

“It was the thing for girls to do and now it’s a lost art,” Bovenkamp said.

Bovenkamp, who attended the honor for Freda, said that she remembers that the old Sumas CRC was a cold place to practice in and that the organist sat with her back to the congregation — only a mirror to see what the people were doing.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Ferndale Record

Ferndale Senior Activity Center hosting Gala Dinner fundraiser Saturday, Nov. 2 event supports meal program

By Mark Reimers news@ferndalerecord.com

FERNDALE — Administrators and volunteers at the Ferndale Senior Activity Center are taking matters into their own hands, now that their funding for meals has been severely cut back. The center will host a fundraiser dinner and concert on Saturday, Nov. 2, to help make up the difference.

The dinner and entertainment are titled “Thanks for the Memories.” A lineup of guest artists is featured to reflect the music of the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, all with an eye toward the troops who served through those decades.

The event begins at 6 p.m., with the doors opening at 5 p.m. for a no-host bar.

The gala dinner, catered by Kelly’s O’Deli, will feature chicken cordon bleu, caesar salad and cheesecake.

Entertainment will feature the Pakawalups, performing music from the '40s; Northwest Theatre Group, performing songs from the ‘50s from their upcoming show “Smokey Joe’s Cafe”; and The Walrus, representing the ‘60s.

Lawana Chapman, treasurer of the Jet Oldsters Association, the supporting nonprofit organization, said each one of the decades in music reflects on separate and dis-

Above: The Pakawalups, made up of sisters Cathie, Sue and Vicki, perform 1940s music in honor of their dad, who was a B17 bomber pilot. Below: The Northwest Theatre Group will perform 1950s songs from their upcoming show “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.” tinct wartime experiences, first with World War II, next the Korean War and finally the Vietnam War. Tickets to the event cost $45 each and can be purchased in person at the Ferndale Senior Activity Center next to Pioneer Park.

Chapman said the event is a first for the senior center, and she is hopeful that it can generate enough interest to become an annual occurrence.

No event would be on the calender, were it not for a drastic change in the funding the center receives to produce hot meals for local seniors.

Ferndale’s all-important meals program served 7,600 meals at the Ferndale Senior Activity Center last year.

The normal funding partners for the program are the Whatcom County Council on Aging, federal grants plus donations.

However, in April the Council on Aging informed the Ferndale center that unless it came up with an additional $875 per month, hot meals would be reduced to two See Gala on C7

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Ferndale Record

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Gala: $10,500 needed to keep senior center operating Continued from C6 days per week.

Chapman said Whatcom County prepares the meals, brings them to the center and helps prep each day’s service along with Ferndale volunteers.

Chapman said she understands how tight it is for the county especially with federal sequestration and other cuts. However, the Ferndale center views the meals it serves as the lifeblood of its programs. Not only do many local seniors rely on them for good nutrition, Chapman said, but the people come in for the dozens of enrichment programs hosted at the center as well.

The Ferndale center has already been increasing its fundraising to support normal operations, Chapman said, with $10,500 needed to keep up.

“The loss of three days of meals would be a blow to many people’s health,” Chapman said. “It’s a big psychological blow as well.”

Connected: CaptionCall adds closed captioning to phones Continued from C5

The Ferndale center did eventually start paying the extra amount for full meal services.

Patrons of the meal program can give donations if they are able. As far as Chapman is aware, $2.50 of every meal comes from declining federal funding, with the overall meal cost (as of April) at $6.80.

“Not everyone can donate $5,” Chapman said. “Their Social Security portion might not be what mine is. Our center’s donations are pretty high, but it's not enough to cover it.”

Chapman emphasizes that the program isn’t just about nutrition.

“This brings them into the center for socialization,” Chapman said. “There are some excellent programs they would miss out on.”

Programs hosted at Ferndale include strength training, educational and health education program, quilting and crafts, Al-

the problems I have with my hearing were caused partially through the explosions [from the war],” said World War II veteran Don Pullan, 89, of Salt Lake City, Utah. “It was difficult to have a simple conversation with my two daughters over the phone.”

While hearing aids do an excellent job of helping people meet many of their communication needs, sometimes more is needed, adds Dr. Sergei Kochkin, a board member and executive director of the Better Hearing Institute in Washington, D.C. “There are situations where additional assistive listening devices are needed,” he said. “Some hearing aid users continue to experience difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, such as in a restaurant, from a distance, or while listening on the telephone.”

To this end, one company is helping to break the silence for those who have trouble hearing.

Salt Lake City-based CaptionCall created a new telephone that allows hard-ofhearing users to follow conversations on

See Gala on C8

their phone much like they would closedcaptioning television.

CaptionCall uses voice recognition technology and a transcription service to display written captions of what callers say on a large screen. Customers make and receive calls as they always have. All that is required to use CaptionCall is a high-speed Internet connection, a standard home phone line and medically recognized hearing loss.

The service is provided free to all qualified individuals as a result of the Americans with Disabilities Act. “Every day we’re providing a better way to improve communication for hard-of-hearing people,” said Pat Nola, president and CEO of the company. “It improves people’s lives in a significant way.”

Pullan agrees. “[CaptionCall] has been absolutely wonderful,” he said. “It connects me with everybody for everything. It really does. It’s beautiful.”

For more information on this free service, visit www.CaptionCall.com or call 877-863-1196.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Ferndale Record

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Gala: Center offers wide variety of diverse classes Continued from C7 zheimers screenings and “Staying Connected” classes, basic electrical repair, poetry, Tai Chi, low-impact aerobics, monthly bus trips and healthcare insurance education.

Just as important, Chapman said, coming to the senior center is an opportunity for every senior citizen to be treated with respect, which sometimes is all they need.

Chapman said planning for the gala dinner event was based on the thought that Ferndale doesn’t have a lot of evening events with the exception of Dollars for Scholars and the Boys & Girls Club auction.

The gala will only be able to accommodate about 100 guests this year at the senior center. Should it be successful, though, a larger venue might be in order for future years.

Nearly half of the tickets had been sold as of last week, and all must be sold ahead of time for a proper dinner head-count.

Given this year’s military theme, Chapman said, local families are invited to bring in their photos of services members, both past and present, by Oct. 29. Center volunteers will copy and post them as part of the event decorations.

For more information about the Gala Dinner and Show, call Barbara at the Ferndale Senior Activity Center at 384-6244.

Singers Chuck Dingee and Joe Young of the Walrus bring their 1960s sounds.

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